Reduced costs and increased comfort

Uncovering the specific drivers of your building’s energy usage, and how it stacks up with others, is often the first step in making strategic, cost-effective energy upgrades that help you reduce energy waste, lower costs and stay competitive. Learn how benchmarking can get you started on the path to reduced costs and increased comfort.

In the United States, 14 cities and two states currently require energy benchmarking, including Portland and Seattle. Studies show that buildings that benchmark have lower energy use than non-benchmarked buildings. More than 450,000 commercial buildings in the US actively measure and track energy use, about 40%. Find the resources you need to get started with benchmarking or to make improvements based on the data.

To reduce energy costs and carbon emissions, Portland City Council passed a policy in 2015 that requires commercial buildings 20,000 square feet and over to track energy use with ENERGY STAR® Portfolio Manager®, and report energy performance information annually to the City of Portland.

Seattle's Energy Benchmarking Program (SMC 22.920) requires owners of non-residential and multifamily buildings (20,000 sf or larger) to track energy performance with ENERGY STAR® Portfolio Manager® and annually report to the City of Seattle by April 1st of each year.

Case Study

Saving energy is an important part of Bonneville Power Administration’s role in delivering power to Northwest communities. BPA promotes energy-efficiency programs and strategies to businesses and residences throughout the Northwest. The agency also understands the importance of identifying opportunities to address its own energy use.